This week, House Democrats’ impeachment inquiry continued to amplify with their formal Thursday vote approving procedures for going forward with features of the probe like public hearings, and in response, the Trump team just keeps going further off into the deep end. Quoting an unnamed Republican source, CNN’s White House correspondent Jim Acosta wrote on Twitter this Thursday about how “delusional” the president’s team’s response was to this week’s impeachment testimony from National Security Council official Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman. Despite Vindman clearly outlining President Donald Trump’s shakedown of Ukraine in an attempt to get dirt on the Bidens, the president’s team claimed Vindman’s testimony supports President Trump’s message!
Acosta shared on Twitter:
‘New: Trump campaign talking points on Vindman described as “delusional” by one Republican who viewed them. Talking points say “Vindman’s testimony supports President Trump’s message…” and that “the released transcript… was accurate.” And “no quid pro quo on the call.”’
As Acosta added, clarifying the reality of the situation:
‘Vindman testified that aid to Ukraine was being tied to investigating the Bidens. A quid pro quo. He also told lawmakers some portions of the call were not included in the final transcript.’
Vindman testified that aid to Ukraine was being tied to investigating the Bidens. A quid pro quo. He also told lawmakers some portions of the call were not included in the final transcript. https://t.co/GmZdpC66Ew – https://t.co/2CMsJk521I https://t.co/wKdhKckXWR
— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 31, 2019
Vindman himself listened into a scrutinized phone conversation between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as it happened, and he apparently tried to correct the record, but he told Congress that politically minded White House officials blocked that from happening. The clearly incriminating call record that we do have is apparently then a toned down record of what actually happened on the call.
And that call is far from where the revealed Trump scheme to get dirt on the Bidens ends. There was even another call — in the weeks after Trump called to congratulate Zelensky on his initial victory, the Ukrainian president apparently held a meeting with top aides that devolved in hours of deliberation over pressure from the Trump administration. What had Trump done to make them so concerned?
That’s just one of many questions that will weigh on the impeachment inquiry as it goes forward. The resolution that House Democrats approved this week includes provisions for an eye-catching development — public testimony.
Check out Twitter’s response to Acosta…
